William Napier (British Army officer)
Encyclopedia
Major-General William Craig Emilius Napier (18 March 1818 – 23 September 1903) was a British Army
officer who became Governor of the Royal Military College Sandurst.
and educated at Cheltenham College
, William Napier served with the Buffs (Royal East Kent Regiment), and subsequently with the King's Own Scottish Borderers
. He was Director-General of Military Education and fought at the recapture of Port Natal
in 1842, in the Scinde Campaign
in 1845 and in the Crimean War
in 1855. He went on to be Colonel of the Buffs from 1874 and Governor of the Royal Military College Sandurst from 1875.
He was the author of two books:
; they had seven daughters and one son.
British Army
The British Army is the land warfare branch of Her Majesty's Armed Forces in the United Kingdom. It came into being with the unification of the Kingdom of England and Scotland into the Kingdom of Great Britain in 1707. The new British Army incorporated Regiments that had already existed in England...
officer who became Governor of the Royal Military College Sandurst.
Military career
Born the son of Lieutenant-General Sir George Thomas NapierGeorge Thomas Napier
Lieutenant-General Sir George Thomas Napier KCB entered the British army in 1800, and served with distinction under Sir John Moore and the Duke Wellington in the Peninsula--and lost his right arm at the storming of Ciudad Rodrigo, where, as a Major in the 52nd Foot, he led the Light Division's...
and educated at Cheltenham College
Cheltenham College
Cheltenham College is a co-educational independent school, located in Cheltenham, Gloucestershire, England.One of the public schools of the Victorian period, it was opened in July 1841. An Anglican foundation, it is known for its classical, military and sporting traditions.The 1893 book Great...
, William Napier served with the Buffs (Royal East Kent Regiment), and subsequently with the King's Own Scottish Borderers
King's Own Scottish Borderers
The King's Own Scottish Borderers was an infantry regiment of the British Army, part of the Scottish Division.-History:It was raised on 18 March 1689 by the Earl of Leven to defend Edinburgh against the Jacobite forces of James II. It is said that 800 men were recruited within the space of two hours...
. He was Director-General of Military Education and fought at the recapture of Port Natal
Battle of Congella
-Background:According to South African history, in the mid-1820s King Shaka swept through the countryside now known as KwaZulu-Natal, killing almost the entire native population of bushmen. Through his conquests king Shaka founded the first unified Zulu Kingdom...
in 1842, in the Scinde Campaign
Sindh
Sindh historically referred to as Ba'ab-ul-Islam , is one of the four provinces of Pakistan and historically is home to the Sindhi people. It is also locally known as the "Mehran". Though Muslims form the largest religious group in Sindh, a good number of Christians, Zoroastrians and Hindus can...
in 1845 and in the Crimean War
Crimean War
The Crimean War was a conflict fought between the Russian Empire and an alliance of the French Empire, the British Empire, the Ottoman Empire, and the Kingdom of Sardinia. The war was part of a long-running contest between the major European powers for influence over territories of the declining...
in 1855. He went on to be Colonel of the Buffs from 1874 and Governor of the Royal Military College Sandurst from 1875.
He was the author of two books:
- Outpost Duty: To Which Are Added Treatises on Military Reconnaissance and on Road Making published in 1869
- Passages in the Early Military Life of General Sir George T. Napier published in 1884.
Family
In 1845 he married Emily Cephalonia Napier, daughter of Lieutenant-General Sir Charles James NapierCharles James Napier
General Sir Charles James Napier, GCB , was a general of the British Empire and the British Army's Commander-in-Chief in India, notable for conquering the Sindh Province in what is now Pakistan.- His genealogy :...
; they had seven daughters and one son.